Two Years

Two years ago yesterday Anna was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Crazy as it may seem, I can remember little tiny details about that day.....the exact words the doctor used when he gave us the news, what she was wearing at the hospital, the faces of our nurses, the gifts friends brought when they visited, the weather outside, exactly how I felt inside and much more. It has been a roller coaster since that time....some good things and some bad.

This time last year, I wrote this post. It was optimistic and thoughtful. I must admit that this year I don't necessarily feel like being eloquent. Sure, those things I wrote are still true but for both Anna and I, we are currently in a season of desparately wanting a break....can we take a diabetes vacation? Is there any way we could escape it all just for one day? I say "we" but, in reality, it is really just "she." She is the one who feels the highs and lows, the one who can never put anything in her mouth without thinking about the effect it will have and what insulin she needs to take, the one who feels "different." Me, I'm just the one trying to think like a pancreas...trying to make the right adjustments, give the right doses so that she feels her best all the time and has to think about it less.

We are entering the crucial 'tween' years. It is no longer interesting or exciting to have something that is outside of the norm. It feels weird...kids are cruel....it is not fun. She does not want to have extra attention drawn to herself in a school setting. She would rather not eat the treat someone brings to class if it means that she must test her blood sugar and call her mom to get a carb count. It is hard.

All that being said, both she and I KNOW that Romans 8:28 is true. That our God is a God of love and he loves her more than we could ever imagine. He has amazing plans for her life....and diabetes is all a part of it. It will not define her but it can help make her into who He has created her to be.